At Diagon Alley
by Zsenya
Summary: Sequel to
1. Default Chapter

AT DIAGON ALLEY (A SEQUEL TO A MUGGLE SUMMER)

A/N: This is a sequel to A Muggle Summer. There's no real exciting plot - it's just all about the beginning of Ron and Hermione's relationship and of Ginny and Harry's friendship. I don't want to disappoint anyone, but there will be no Ginny/Harry kissing in this story. It's too soon for that. I hope you will read it anyway. It switches POV from Ron to Ginny and I hope it's not too confusing.

Special, special thanks to my two wonderful beta readers, B Bennett and Arabella. I'm especially grateful for the assistance with writers' block several weeks ago….

Disclaimer: JK Rowling is a genius.

~*~

PART I: THE SECOND WEEK 

(Ron's POV)

Ron Weasley awoke on Friday morning feeling extremely happy and a bit sad at the same time. The last week had been, well, it had been more interesting than any other in Ron's relatively short life. Exactly one week earlier, he had kissed a girl for the first time - it seemed amazing to think that there had been a time in his life when he hadn't kissed a girl. And this girl - Hermione - his best friend, well, what could be better than that?

He lay on his bed, hands behind his head on the pillow, with a silly smile on his freckled face. He heard a noise come from the bathroom and grinned as he knew that Hermione was awake as well. He thought about getting out of bed and scaring her, but decided against it. He was too happy to do anything that might cause a row at the moment.

Ron had come to stay with Hermione for the last two weeks of the summer holidays. His parents (and Hermione) had thought that it would be educational for Ron to see how a typical Muggle family lived. Ron had learned much in the past two weeks - how to play guitar, how to use the telephone and television, how to make a pie, and how to kiss a girl - a skill that his parents probably hadn't intended for him to learn just yet.

Fred and George, Ron's older brothers, had given him some advice on that subject before he left home, and he wondered about their reaction to the owl he had sent them yesterday. The note said,

****

Dear Gred and Forge,

Thanks for the helpful information. I have completely lost control, but am enjoying every minute of it. If you breathe a word of this to anyone - I'll tell about Fred and Angelina under the Quidditch bleachers last term. Bet you thought I didn't know about that, did you?

Love from,

Ron

(the youngest, yet most impressive, Weasley man)

Actually, Ron hadn't seen anything under the bleachers, but he reckoned there was a pretty good chance that something _had _happened, and he needed ammunition.

Since Hermione and Ron had confessed their feelings for each other the week before, the rest of the vacation had been extremely blissful. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had taken a few days off of work and they had gone to the seaside one day, and to a rock concert the next. Ron found all of these things fascinating, but the most amazing of all was Hermione herself. He marveled that there had been a time before he was able to hold her hand, or stroke her soft hair, or kiss her. It was all completely and utterly amazing. They were still friends, and had a wonderful time together, but it was even better because they hadn't had a single fight and they were becoming more open with each other. Shyness and awkwardness had bottled up a lot of emotion for the two of them over the summer, but now that was out of the way, neither one of them seemed to be able to stop talking. They spent hours discussing Harry and the events of the year before, Hermione's own fear that perhaps she or her family were in danger somehow, and Ron's observation that his father might very soon give up working at the Ministry of Magic. 

~*~

The day at the seaside had been especially educational. He had been very excited about it. He had only ever been swimming in the pond behind the Burrow and had not spent any time at the beach. Realizing that Ron probably hadn't packed his bathing suit, the Grangers stopped at a shop along the way and picked up a pair of dark blue swimming trunks for him.

Mr. Granger had parked the car and they had dragged an umbrella, basket, towels and chairs out to the only apparently vacant spot on the beach. The summer had been unusually warm and people were taking advantage of the relatively rare and warm summer sun. Ron stared around in awe. Everywhere he looked, he saw skin. People were dressed, to be sure, but barely. Blushing, he remembered Hermione's Bulgarian bikini and was actually relieved to note that she was wearing a simple, short, mauve-colored sundress. He'd nearly died of shock several minutes later, when, after arranging the towels and blankets, Mr. Granger had grasped the bottom of his T-shirt and lifted it over his head, revealing a very pale chest and a more ample belly than was noticeable under his regular clothing. Ron turned to stare at the horizon, and when he turned again, Mrs. Granger had stripped down to a modest black one piece. Ron was surprised to note that she was actually quite shapely, but he was still in shock. He and his brothers and Ginny would swim in the pond at the Burrow, but he'd never, _ever_ seen his mother stick a toe in there, and the thought of his mother wearing something like a bathing suit made Ron cringe outwardly. Hermione, to his great relief, remained covered in her sundress.

They sat for a while watching the people and sticking their toes in the sand. Finally, Hermione had asked quietly if he wanted to go swimming.

Watching the sand filtering through his fingers, Ron nodded in what he hoped was a nonchalant way, wondering wildly if he had to take off his shirt to go in the water. He knew that he did. 

Deciding to follow Mr. Granger's lead, he grasped his T-shirt and pulled it over his head. He was afraid that they might all be blinded by the sight of his white skin glowing in the sunlight. 

He used his hands in the sand beside him to lift up but a voice stopped him from standing. "Oh no you don't," said the voice that he recognized as Mrs. Granger's from behind him. Ron turned his head and saw her holding out a plastic bottle. 

"Oh, right, I forgot," muttered Hermione's voice next to him and she reached for the bottle, pulling into Ron's field of vision. He gasped when he saw her standing right next to him, the sundress in a heap on the blanket beside her, and the very same bathing suit from the picture on her body. The effect was a bit overwhelming. For his own good, Ron tried not to watch as Hermione sat down on the towel and began rubbing the suntan lotion on her legs and arms.

"You too, Ron. I won't have your mother getting upset with me because that pale skin of yours has burned to a crisp." 

"She's right - you are probably the type to get sunburned," began Hermione, but Ron interrupted indignantly, "I go swimming at home all the time and I've never had to put anything on. What is that anyway?"

"Sunscreen - the beach sun is much stronger than at the Burrow because it reflects off of the sand," answered Hermione, scooting over to him on the towel. "Here, sit still." With that, she began to rub the lotion onto his freckled shoulders. Ron thought that maybe burning wouldn't be such a bad thing; at least they wouldn't be able to see him blushing. Hermione slapped his back deftly with her fingers and said, "Done!" brightly.

Relieved to have his back to the Grangers, he took a deep breath, and said to Hermione in his bravest voice, "I'll race you!" and with that, took off running towards the water. It had been freezing, but also quite a lot of fun.

Actually, Ron had been surprised to discover exactly how much fun he had with Hermione since that night at the dance party. It wasn't just the kissing - that day at the beach she had been quite willing to play in the water and was quite as skilful as he was in deceptive moves like dunking. She also knew how to swim quite well and several times had gotten the better of him by disappearing under the water and pulling him down before he realized what was going on. At school they were always with Harry and since every year with Harry had involved some sort of crisis, Hermione always seemed, well, somewhat tense. Here with her parents in the relative calm of the summer, she seemed different, relaxed, easy-going. Once she had even pulled him under, and kissed him abruptly. It had taken him by surprise so much, that, well, he was just glad that he was in the sea and no one could see him turning red.

It had been a perfect day and even years later Ron would conjure up images of Hermione, hair drenched, cheeks rosy, and smile wide, to comfort him in times of stress.

~*~

Ron's mind wandered to last night - he grinned - last night Ron had even been reluctant to say "Goodnight." Around midnight, suspecting that something was up, no doubt, Mr. Granger had wandered downstairs in his dressing gown and insisted that they go up to bed. Mr. Granger would have been better off leaving them downstairs. As soon as they were safely in their rooms and certain that Mr. Granger was safely in his, Ron had turned off his bedroom light and then gone in to use the bathroom. After a moment, just for effect, in case anyone was listening, he pretended to leave the bathroom again, but instead, slipped into Hermione's room. She was lying on her bed, writing in her diary. She closed it when she saw Ron. She looked as though she had been caught at something and he reckoned that she was probably writing about him. He would have given anything to sneak a peak at that diary of hers…

"Hi," he said, wondering if he really should have been so bold, but thinking that her pajamas (blue with little rose flowers) were extremely cute.

"Hi," she answered, a bit shyly, even though they had spent the last hour kissing on the sofa downstairs.

"I'm not really tired," he whispered, walking over to the bed. Hermione was now sitting up, legs crossed, "are you?"

Hermione giggled a bit, "not really - it's too bad that we can't ride broomsticks here, isn't it? I don't usually like it - you know I'm not good at flying, but this would be a nice night to go for a ride, wouldn't it?" Her window was open and a warm breeze was coming through the curtains.

Ron sat next to her and just nodded in agreement. He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. Hermione kissed him back and they remained like that for quite a while. Only when Crookshanks jumped up onto Ron's lap, purring loudly and demanding some attention as well, did they break apart, a bit breathlessly. Hermione's face was flushed a pink color that matched the little flowers on her pajamas and Ron's ears were their usual shade of embarrassed magenta. Realizing that maybe he wasn't sure exactly what to do next, Ron began to feel a bit panicked and stroked Crookshank's furry back and muttered, "well, I just really wanted to come in and say goodnight properly, that's all." Hermione nodded, understanding him, and took Crookshanks from him. "Goodnight," she whispered, watching him as he crept back through the bathroom into his own room.

Ron sighed deeply and forced himself back to the present. Today they were going to London, to Diagon Alley, to meet his family. They would get all of their school supplies, spend the night there at the Leaky Cauldron, and head out on the Hogwarts Express with everyone else. School. Normally Ron liked returning to school, but he wondered what it would be like now with Hermione, and, well, things as they were. Harry was meeting them at Diagon Alley - Ron had told him nothing. They had spoken on the telephone twice in the past week, but Ron had not been able to muster up the words to tell his friend what was going on. He figured that Harry had a right to know - after all, he was their best friend. But how did you announce something like that, "Er Harry, I might kiss Hermione now and then, so you know, don't let that bother you," or "Well, every once in a while, Hermione and I might stay up late and snog in the common room, I hope it doesn't make you feel uncomfortable." Whichever way he put it, it sounded stupid. Ron knew Hermione was a bit uncomfortable and worried about the situation as well. During their last phone conversation with Harry, Ron heard Hermione talking to him and turning very red as she said, "You know, nothing really, watching a lot of TV, listening to music, wishing you were here with us…" It wasn't _exactly _a lie. It would have been lovely to have Harry with them at the seaside, or at the concert, just so long as he didn't object to Ron sneaking into Hermione's room for a goodnight kiss at the day's end. 

Ron heaved himself off the bed and pulled on his clothes. His trunks were pretty much packed, and Ginny was bringing Pigwidgeon with her from home. He heard Hermione leave the bathroom, and he wandered in, splashing cold water on his face. He guessed they'd stayed up pretty late, because there were large circles under his eyes. He threw some of the water on his head, causing red spikes to form, and then went back into the bedroom. Looking around a bit sadly, he lifted the trunk by the handle and dragged it towards the door.


	2. The Letter (Ginny's POV)

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my sisters. I based Ginny's room upon theirs…

Disclaimer: JK Rowling rocks!

PART II: LETTERS 

(Ginny's POV)

Ginny Weasley lay face down on her bed at the Burrow, her head buried in her pillow, trying not to think about anything in particular. She was wondering if she should have sent that letter. Her stomach felt as though Cornish Pixies were flying around inside.

The end of summer had been particularly boring for Ginny. Her brother Percy was working, Fred and George spent all of their time developing plans for a joke shop, and her youngest brother Ron had gone to spend the last two weeks of the holiday with his friend Hermione, in order to learn more about the Muggle lifestyle. The only companion for Ginny was her mother, whom she loved very much but could hardly tell about things like boys. Ron's tiny, annoying, and hyperactive owl, Pigwidgeon, hardly served as any sort of sympathetic companion.

Ginny had begged Ron to let her hold onto Pigwidgeon for the rest of the summer. She didn't have her own pet and Pig loved her nearly as much as Ron. He had agreed, figuring that an owl would not be much use amongst Muggles anyway, but now Ginny was sorry that she had kept him. Pigwidgeon's cage was empty - he was off delivering a letter for her - a letter that she wished she had never sent.

Ginny sighed and flopped onto her back, her red hair splayed behind her on the pillow. Her room was very tiny and suddenly seemed extremely childish and frivolous to her. A bookshelf in the corner held her schoolbooks and a number of other books that she had loved throughout her childhood, but had not looked at in years. Some of them were so old that they had originally belonged to Bill, her oldest brother. "The Adventures of Captain Gamgee" was one such volume. An entire shelf was filled with comics, "The Adventures of Matilda Miggs, Muggle Maiden." Matilda was sister to Martin Miggs (the Mad Muggle) and the stories weren't very good, but Ginny's father was obsessed with Muggles and religiously purchased a new issue whenever released. Ginny didn't have the heart to tell her father that she didn't want them anymore.

The dresser was littered with half-used candles in various shades of green, yellow, and blue; various hair notions, a bottle of perfume given to her by one of her mother's sisters, several necklaces and bracelets, and a special lock box in which she kept precious items. Inside that box, hidden under the lining, was a newspaper clipping from the Daily Prophet, showing a small, skinny boy with unruly dark hair and a scar shaped like a lightning-bolt on his forehead. Harry Potter. Ginny had been in love with Harry since the first time she saw him at age ten on Platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross Station. In truth, she had been fascinated with his story long before that, and as a child, had often wondered where Harry Potter lived and what he was doing. Until she had met him in person and found out that he spent his summer holidays with cruel and abusive Muggle relatives, she had imagined him hiding out in a grotto in the forest, surrounded by fairies and wood nymphs, dressed like a prince. 

Although the images of the real Harry Potter had replaced the mythical ones in her head, and although she now felt comfortable enough around him not to blush _every_ time he entered a room, Ginny's heart still pounded a bit faster whenever he was near. In many ways, he'd lived up to her fantasies about him - after all, he _had _gotten the better of a dragon the year before. He was always polite and friendly to her - why shouldn't he be? He was Ron's best friend after all. She suspected that he knew how she felt about him and was especially considerate around her in order to make her feel at ease. This just made her like him all the more.

So, she had rationalized to herself that it was perfectly acceptable to write him a letter. She was only doing it because Ron would have done the same if he were around. The Quidditch World Cup was being played this year in Iceland. America and Serbia were competing. Harry had attended the World Cup with the Weasleys the year before when it was played in Britain. An article in the Daily Prophet that morning had given the latest details on the game, which was now on its tenth day. Harry liked Quidditch - he played the position of Seeker on the Gryffindor house team at school. Ginny expected that Harry didn't get much news of the wizarding world living with those awful Muggles. So, after her father read the paper, she carefully clipped the article and sent it off to Harry with a short letter that read:

Dear Harry,

Hello! How are you? I hope your summer isn't too bad. I wish that you could have spent some time at the Burrow, but Mum says that Dumbledore won't allow it this year. I thought you might like this article about the Quidditch World Cup. It looks like America is going to win, but it's still impossible to tell. The score is 1150 - 1120. Can you believe it?

Ron is at Hermione's for the rest of the summer, but I expect you knew that. I'll see you on September 1.

Yours, 

Ginny Weasley

It had taken her three hours to compose the letter and even then she had stared at it another hour before sending it. She hated her handwriting - it was so girly. She also hadn't been sure how to end the letter. "Sincerely" seemed too cold, "Your friend" seemed to imply a bit much, she wasn't really his _friend_ was she - she was his friend's sister - but "Ron's sister" sounded extremely dumb. After all, Harry knew who she was. Finally she just decided on "Yours" but now that she'd sent it off, she wished that she'd just written her name and left it at that.

If only she'd been invited to Hermione's house with Ron. Hermione was her best girl friend, despite being a year older. She knew, of course, why Hermione had not invited her. Ginny knew all about Hermione's crush on Ron. It was Ginny who had persuaded Hermione to invite Ron in the first place. There had been no word from Hermione since Ron arrived a week ago and Ginny wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.

"Ginny! There's a letter for you!" Ginny sat up and shook her head vigorously at the sound of her mother's voice. It couldn't be - already? No. She doubted if Pigwidgeon had even made it to Privet Drive yet. It must be from Hermione. Ginny jumped off the bed and headed down the rickety stairs.

~*~

Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen preparing dinner. When she saw Ginny, she pointed to the scrubbed kitchen table, where several letters and a package were lying. Ginny saw that a rectangular package that looked like a magazine was addressed to her. She also recognized Ron's untidy scrawl on a letter addressed to Fred and George. She scooped up the parcel and ran back upstairs with it.

Back in her bedroom, Ginny sat on her bed and ripped at the paper. A pretty girl with blonde hair stared up at her, the words _Seventeen_ sprawled across the top of her head. A note was taped to the girl's sleeve. 

__

Dear Ginny,

Hello! I thought you might like to look at this Muggle magazine, since you sent me one of your copies of "YW" Of course, the pictures don't move, but it's got some interesting articles. I felt a bit bad sending it with Errol, but he's been resting up at our house for a while, and Ron said that it was okay and he would be offended if I didn't use him. So far, Ron's visit has been very nice. We've only had two arguments, and they were last week. We talked to Harry yesterday on the telephone. Ron really likes it now that he knows how to use it. Harry sounded very bored - of course he'd rather be at the Burrow. I hope you're not too bored yourself! I guess I'll talk to you very soon at Diagon Alley. 

Love from,

Hermione

p.s. There is an article on page 73 that I found very interesting.

Ginny read the letter twice, wondering what exactly Hermione meant by "very nice" and feeling grateful for Hermione mentioning Harry. Only Hermione knew that Ginny still had a terrible crush on Harry, or, at least, Hermione was the only person she confided in. She supposed everyone in her family just assumed that it had never gone away although Ginny made a conscious effort not to say Harry's name in front of them.

She put down the letter and reached for the magazine. It fell open to page 73, and Ginny gave a little laugh as she saw the title of the article "In Love With Your Best Friend? How to Make Him Like You Back!" Trust Hermione to send the letter in a sort of code - Ginny assumed that Hermione was wise to Fred and George's (not to mention Mrs. Weasley's) tendency to read other people's mail.

There was a piece of parchment spellotaped to the bottom of the page. Ginny carefully peeled the paper from the page and skimmed the list of "helpful hints." They didn't seem all that useful to Ginny. "Want him to notice you? Don your sexiest dress and go out for a night on the town!" Ginny laughed outright at suggestion number seven "Ask him to help you study - he'll feel confident and smart, and you'll get to be close in the library!" Ginny doubted whether Hermione had ever asked anyone for help studying, and Ron would probably look at Hermione as if she'd gone starkers if she asked him.

Chuckling, Ginny picked up Hermione's note. On it, she had written

__

#11: Make sure he's around when you get post from Bulgaria

#12: Ignore him J

Still smiling, Ginny flipped onto her stomach to read through the rest of the magazine. She was sure that she and Hermione would have quite a lot to talk about in Diagon Alley. For a little while, she forgot about Harry and relaxed.

~*~

Ginny was wakened in the middle of the night by a squeak and felt something light and fluttery land on her chest. She opened her eyes and focused on Pigwidgeon dancing around on her bed and hooting happily. There was a note attached to his leg. 

Trembling, Ginny sat up and untied the letter. Pigwidgeon flew around her head, and then headed for his water dish. "Thanks very much Pig," Ginny whispered appreciatively. She ran her fingers over the piece of parchment and then pulled her knees under her and hobbled on her bed over towards the window, where the light of the moon was illuminating everything.

The letter was addressed very simply. The front was blank except for the word 

****

Ginny scrawled across it.

Ginny stared at it for a long time and then finally broke the seal and opened it. Her first letter from Harry Potter read as follows:

****

Dear Ginny,

Thanks ever so much for the article about the Quidditch Cup. I wondered where it would be this year. I can NOT wait until school starts. I'm going barmy here with my relatives. I expect I'll see you tomorrow at Diagon Alley, if Uncle Vernon keeps his promise to drive me to London. Hope you had a good summer. 

Harry

Ginny read the note over and over again, her finger sliding along the parchment as she read. Of course, in her heart, she'd known that Harry would write back - he was considerate that way - still, she was a bit surprised that the letter was here in front of her. She had been preparing herself for disappointment all afternoon. After a while, she just sat near the window, enjoying the warm summer breeze, and holding her letter in her lap. Finally, she yawned, crawled back over to her pillow, slipped the letter under it, and went to sleep with a small smile on her face.


	3. We Had to Have at Least One Fight, Didn'...

PART III: WE HAD TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE FIGHT, DIDN'T WE? (Ron's POV)

Mr. and Mrs. Granger were sitting at the kitchen table when Ron arrived downstairs. Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

"Good morning Ron!" greeted Mrs. Granger cheerfully, "Eggs?"

"Oh, er, yes please," answered Ron, looking around questioningly for Hermione.

"She's gone out to the garden. Said she wanted to do something," grunted Mr. Granger from behind his newspaper. "Seemed a little distracted this morning."

Ron looked down at the plate of eggs that Mrs. Granger had just set in front of him and began to eat them slowly. Nobody said much of anything. A tapping at the window startled them all. Jerking his head up, Ron saw Hermes, his brother Percy's screech owl, perched outside the window. Ron rushed over and opened the window to let Hermes in. "It's my brother's owl," he explained.

Attached to Hermes' leg were three letters. One was addressed to Mrs. Granger from Mrs. Weasley. The second was also from Mrs. Weasley, but addressed to Ron, and the third was from Fred. Ron gave Mrs. Granger her letter and then proceeded to open his own letter from his mother.

__

Dear Ron,

I hope you behaved yourself during your stay with the Grangers and learned lots of interesting things about the Muggle lifestyle. We will see you in the Leaky Cauldron sometime today. I checked in your room [Ron groaned] _and it doesn't appear that you've forgotten to pack anything. Remember to be polite and thank Mr. and Mrs. Granger for letting you stay with them._

Much love, 

Mum

Ron opened the letter from Fred with a grin. He figured he knew what this one said,

Dear Ron,

You're not as smart as you think you are. I never kissed Angelina under the bleachers but he did kiss her in the locker room [obviously, Fred and George were writing this one together]. Just remember, we've got your number now. Step out of line and we'll catch you. And don't think that you can use the locker room if you make the Quidditch team, because you can't, but the bleachers are usually free… At least you're not as stupid as your brother George. Hey!

Love from,

Fred

Scowling slightly, Ron shoved the letter into his pocket. 

"Everything all right, Ron?" asked Mrs. Granger. 

"Yeah, fine." He answered, then remembering his manners, added, "Mrs. Granger, Mr. Granger, thanks so much for inviting me to stay here this summer. It's been loads of fun. I mean, I never would have gotten to learn the guitar or all about CDs and things if I had stayed at the Burrow."

They both smiled and then Mr. Granger pushed his chair away from the table, stood up, and said, "I've got a few things to do before we leave. Ron, we've loved having you and it's been wonderful to have another man in the house to balance things out a bit." Mr. Granger dodged his wife's hand, which was getting ready to smack him playfully.

"Mr. Granger, may I have a last go on the guitar?" 

"Be my guest," Mr. Granger replied.

Grinning, Ron rushed down the hall towards the recreation room and plugged in Mr. Granger's old guitar. He amused himself by trying to play along with one of the records, thinking that he might use some of his summer savings to buy an acoustic guitar that he could use at Hogwarts. When he finally looked up, he saw Hermione standing in the doorway. He smiled at her and she walked over to where he was sitting and plopped down next to him.

"Mum says to tell you that its nearly time to go," she started to say, but Ron cut her off with a quick kiss. She smiled at him weakly.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked, looking concerned.

"I don't know," began Hermione, looking down at her hands. "It's just that, well, these past two weeks have been so wonderful, and now we have to go back to school and I'm afraid it will be weird, and we're going to have to tell Harry, but I don't want to _tell _anyone, I just sort of want them to know and then ignore it because it sounds so strange if you try to say, well, whatever. Do you know what I mean?"

Hermione had uttered the statement in her usual worried rush and had begun to wring her hands. 

"Hermione," said Ron, placing the guitar back in its case and turning towards her. He gripped her shoulders so that she had to look up at him and said, "Its going to be _fine._ We don't _have _to _tell _anybody anything. We can say something to Harry on the train or something and everyone else can just figure out whatever they want to. Don't worry. You'll have to learn how to develop a thick skin to deal with Fred and George though."

"Do _they _know what's going on?"

Ron turned very red. He was going to have to lie a bit, but he figured it was for the best. He just said, "they don't know that we've…that we've, well, you know, kissed, but they were teasing me about you before I even came here and I'm sure they'll pick up on it pretty quickly."

Hermione sighed, "For the first time, I'm not sure I want to go back to Hogwarts."

"Yes you do!" said Ron, feigning shock. "What would you do without Charms, Herbology, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Divination - oh, yeah, you dropped that one, and Defense Against the Dark Arts? And don't forget…" here Ron assumed a look of extreme excitement, "this year we get to take the O.W.L.'s!!! It's going to be so much fun, I can feel it in my bones. We won't have time for anything but studying, and that's your favorite thing in the world!"

Hermione tried to look annoyed and squirm out of Ron's reach, but in the end she broke down into laughter. Kissing him quickly on the lips, she said, "Studying is only _one _of my favorite things in the world." Hermione's face became very serious again. "Ron, there's something I have to tell you before we go back to school."

"What is it?" asked Ron lightly.

Hermione reached into her pocket and pulled out a small brown package and a piece of parchment. She handed it to Ron, looking down at the floor. Ron opened the brown paper and saw a shining silver badge lying inside, the word "Prefect" engraved in the metal. He looked at Hermione in astonishment. Then he opened the letter. It read:

Dear Miss Granger:

We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to serve this year as a Prefect for Gryffindor house. We know that you are equal to the responsibility. Please wear this badge as soon as you step onto the Hogwarts Express. A special training meeting will be held after the Sorting Feast.

Congratulations,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Ron looked at Hermione, who was still looking, very red in the face, down at her feet. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't surprised actually, but he felt as though Hermione was expecting him to act a certain way and he wasn't sure what that was. Finally he said, "But - isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Hermione snapped her head up and looked very, very surprised. "You mean you're not angry?"

"Angry? Why?" Ron's face brightened considerably, "if you're a Prefect, that means that we can get away with bloody murder! You're the boss!"

Hermione's brows furrowed, she frowned, and Ron instantly knew that he had said the wrong thing, "Ron! Don't swear! That is _not _what it means. It means that I can't just go around sneaking out at night under the Invisibility Cloak. I can't break any rules, and you and Harry can't either. If I see you misbehaving, I have to turn you in."

"Aw, come on, Hermione, you don't have to do that."

"Yes I do!" Hermione's face now nearly matched the color of Ron's hair and her eyes were flashing.

"You wouldn't turn us in!"

"I would if I caught you out of bounds! I can't have double standards. I'd have to be fair!"

Ron was now feeling extremely upset. Something different was going on inside of him. Before - well, before he had just accepted fighting as part of his friendship with Hermione and not really given it too much thought. Now - now he felt as though he really didn't want to fight, but that he couldn't help it. He took a deep breath and attempted to sound calm.

"Hermione, do you realize that our sneaking out and breaking school rules has saved several lives over the past few years? Do you understand that sometimes it's okay to break a rule or two?"

Tears were threatening to fall from Hermione's eyes, but she recovered herself and stood up, "I knew you'd get angry," she began, very quietly. "I can't help it if I've been asked to be a Prefect. I can't very well turn it down. Do you think that I _enjoy _being known as boring old Hermione who never wants to do anything fun?"

"Hermione!" exclaimed Ron, "That's not what I said! I know for a fact that lots of Prefects have broken rules - I'm not saying that you should break rules, I'm just saying that you don't have to turn everybody in for every little thing."

But Hermione wasn't really listening anymore. She gave Ron a very nasty look, lifted her head high, and stormed out of the room, nearly knocking over Mr. Granger who appeared in the doorway.

Mr. Granger raised one eyebrow towards Hermione and then came and sat next to Ron in the seat she had recently vacated.

"So, Ron, what did you do wrong?" asked Mr. Granger very cheerfully, a small twinkle in his eye.

Ron looked down at the floor and kicked his feet around, "Dunno," he mumbled. They were quiet for a few moments and then Ron continued quietly, "she just told me that she gets to be a Prefect this year and I told her it was great and she got mad at me." Ron's brows were furrowed now, and he was replaying the conversation in his head, trying to remember exactly what had happened.

Mr. Granger smiled at Ron and said with a sigh, "Ron, my boy, get used to it. That's all the advice I have to offer. Now!" Mr. Granger stood up and reached for the guitar case on the floor. He took the guitar out of Ron's arms and placed it inside the case. "Please accept this small gift from one musician to another. Hermione told me that all the electricity doesn't work at your school, but you can use the amplifier here at any time, and maybe you can bewitch it to work there somehow. Hermione was going on about misusing artifacts or something like that, but I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Ron stared at Mr. Granger as if he were a unicorn. "Really?" he asked, staring at the guitar case. "Really?"

Mr. Granger nodded and started heading for the door, "of course, you can only come over again if Hermione decides to start speaking to you, so try to do something nice for her today. We've got to get going." 

Ron followed him feeling very happy and very confused.

~*~

The car ride from the Granger's house to London was uneventful. Hermione still wouldn't look at Ron and when he tried to make up to her by holding her hand, she jerked it away and shifted closer to the window.

When they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. Weasley was waiting for them.

"Ted! Courtney! Welcome!"

"Hello Arthur, how're your teeth doing?" Mr. Weasley looked a bit frightened, but recovered quickly and said cheerfully, "Oh! Very clean, thank you!"

They all entered together. Hermione and Ron were informed that everyone else had already left to gather school supplies, but they were due back at the Leaky Caldron at five o'clock for tea. The Grangers kissed Hermione goodbye and gave her spending money for books and Mr. Granger shook Ron's hand vigorously.

"I hope he behaved…" began Mr. Weasley, as Ron turned bright red. Nobody noticed except Hermione, who let out a short, sarcastic sounding laugh, which she quickly stifled.

"Oh, he's a fine boy Arthur," enthused Mr. Granger, "a fine, upstanding, _respectable _boy, aren't you Ron?" Ron nodded, looking at the ground. "Thanks," he muttered. He felt a bit ill.

The Grangers agreed to join Mr. Weasley for a drink. Hermione said goodbye to her parents and then headed out into Diagon Alley with Ron. They were very quiet. Being back in the magical world was a bit daunting. Ron wondered briefly if the whole summer had been a dream. Given their final conversation at the Grangers that morning, it may as well have been. They headed for Gringotts so that Hermione could change her money - Ron had a handful of change from his father, and they went to the apothecary to stock up on supplies for Potions. Ron stared wistfully at some of the more potent herbs on display behind the counter and briefly wondered if there were any that could make Hermione talk to him. Then they were off to Flourish and Blotts, emerging half an hour later with three large heavy bags; Hermione was carrying two of them; she had picked up some extra books for light reading during the term.

They wandered in the general direction of Florean Fortescue's, although both of them seemed to be walking very, very slowly, as if dreading a reunion with their friends. The silence was painful. From afar, Ron could make out the figures of Fred, George, and Lee Jordan staring dreamily in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. He felt a lurch in his stomach and then, grabbing Hermione's arm, he hissed, "Come on!" and pulled her in the direction of a small alleyway between two shops.

"Ron! What are you doi…" began Hermione crossly, but she was cut off by a forceful kiss. Looking startled, she jumped back. Ron looked at her uncertainly, "Sorry, I, er, just wanted to make sure it was all real - it's a bit weird being back here after what happened this summer, I just wanted to bring things back into perspective." Ron drew in his breath sharply, shrugged his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and looked down at his large feet. "Hermione - I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I know it's a big deal for you to be a Prefect and I promise to try my best not to give you a hard time about it."

Hermione gave Ron a very tiny smile, but he could see from the watery look in her eyes that she forgave him. She placed her packages down on the ground beside her, reached her arms up around Ron's neck, and kissed him back.


	4. Beginnings of a Beautiful Friendship (Gi...

PART IV: BEGINNINGS OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP

(Ginny's POV)

The Weasley kitchen felt strangely empty as Ginny, Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley congregated by the fire the next morning. Percy had graduated, Ron would be arriving with the Grangers, and with a bit of luck, Harry's uncle would deposit him at the Leaky Cauldron. Fred and George were entering their seventh and final year at Hogwarts and seemed so much older all of a sudden. George had confided in Ginny that they had found a private investor for their company "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" and would be opening up shop as soon as they graduated in June. Ginny was quite excited by this news, although she assumed that her parents - well, her mother anyway - might not be. 

They arrived at the Leaky Cauldron by Floo Powder and checked all of their trunks into their rooms. Ginny would be sharing a room with Hermione when she arrived that afternoon. As soon as she was settled, Ginny ran down the stairs to the bar, trying not to look too expectant as she scanned over the wizards and witches in the room looking for Harry. Her mother and father were seated at the bar, chatting with Tom, the owner.

"Ready Ginny?" asked her mother brightly as she approached. Ginny cringed slightly. She loved her mother dearly, but since the terrible events of the Triwizard Tournament in June, where one Hogwart's student had been killed, and Harry very nearly so by Lord Voldemort, Mrs. Weasley had been extremely protective of her youngest child and only daughter. Ginny had begun to feel very trapped at the Burrow that summer, and had never been so happy to be returning to the relative freedom of Hogwarts.

Mrs. Weasley continued, "I have some errands to run first, but it should only take an hour or two, and then we can go get your books and things."

"Where're Fred and George?" asked Ginny hopefully, looking wildly around for her brothers.

"They've already gone to do their shopping."

"Can't I go alone?"

Mrs. Weasley looked extremely hurt and put out. "Why would you want to go by yourself?"

"No reason," murmured Ginny, and then added a little too brightly, "Perhaps I can just wait here until Ron and Hermione arrive!"

"They haven't arrived yet?" asked a very, very familiar voice behind Ginny. She spun around to see a slender boy with untidy black hair and spectacles grinning at her. Ginny caught her breath, but leaned against the bar for support and managed to smile back.

"Harry!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley delightedly, "You look well! You've grown a bit! Let me get a good look! Did your relatives give you any trouble this morning?" She held Harry at arm's length and surveyed him lovingly. "My, my, you're practically a man!" Mrs. Weasley's eyes became a bit weepy and Harry blushed pink.

Arthur Weasley clapped Harry on the back. "How're you doing, Harry?" he asked, obviously realizing that his wife was greatly embarrassing the boy, "glad to be back?"

"Yeah, of course," answered Harry politely.

"We were just making plans to go out and get Ginny's school things Harry. I was telling Ginny that I had to run a few errands first and she didn't seem to keen on accompanying me," began Mrs. Weasley in a tone that made Ginny feel both angry and guilty, "but now that you're here, perhaps the two of you can start out together. I don't want her going by herself."

Ginny felt her face heat up and she was unable to control herself, "Mother! I don't need a babysitter. Harry is only one year older than me - why do you trust him to go with me and not me by myself?"

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips and looked from Harry to Ginny as if she didn't quite believe that Ginny was more than three years old. Mrs. Weasley's face was a bit red now too, "Fine. Ginny, go where ever you want. Just make sure you get your school things properly. Here's some money," Mrs. Weasley handed Ginny some gold coins, "that should be enough. Arthur - I'll be back in a few hours." With that, she turned on her heel and huffed out the door.

Mr. Weasley, now apparently somewhat used to these little spats between his wife and daughter, patted Ginny on the shoulder and said encouragingly, "Go ahead you two. I'll wait here, and when Ron and Hermione arrive, I'll send them after you."

Ginny looked over to Harry, knowing that she must be blushing. He hadn't even had a chance to say what he wanted to do. Maybe he didn't want to be stuck walking around with her. She gave him a weak smile and muttered, "you don't have to stay with me, I mean, if you've got plans or whatever…"

Much to her surprise, Harry grinned at her and answered, "I don't have any plans at the moment except to buy school supplies. Let's go - if we get done early enough, we can spend the rest of the afternoon at Florean Fortescues. I haven't had ice cream all summer."

~*~

Ginny and Harry walked out the back door towards the wall that held the secret entrance into Diagon Alley. After they pushed through, they walked in silence a few minutes, and then Harry asked, "where do you need to go first? I actually have to get some new robes. Do you mind going to Madame Malkin's with me?" Ginny nodded, wishing she could think of something interesting to say. She kept stealing little glances at Harry as they walked. He was definitely a bit taller, although not nearly as towering as Ron. As a matter of fact, Ginny speculated that the two chums might look extremely silly walking down the school halls - one long, lean, exuberant and red-headed - the other, small, slim, dark-haired, and serious. Ginny herself almost matched Harry in height. There was something different about him and Ginny couldn't quite put her finger on it. He looked thicker, more solid - what was it? Then Ginny gasped, "Harry! I've just realized…your clothes…"

Harry grinned at her, "Well, it was really getting ridiculous wasn't it? Having to wear all of Dudley's old clothes all the time? I decided not to stand for it anymore. I dunno, it seems to be easier to get things from them these days. I just insisted that they take me to the shop and they did it."

Ginny grinned back at him and followed him as he pushed open the door to Madame Malkin's shop. She greeted them both warmly and then ushered Harry up onto a stool to measure him for new robes. Ginny wandered around the shop, looking longingly at all of the expensive dress robes, returning more than once to gaze at a velvety one in sage green. Unconsciously, she picked up the sleeve and rubbed it against her cheek. She owned a pair of dress robes - they were plain and white and she liked them okay, but given a choice, she knew she would take those in a heartbeat. Before too long, she heard Harry's voice from behind her, "those are quite nice, aren't they?" She spun around and saw Harry grinning at her with a brown package in his arms. His hair was even more disheveled than usual after trying on the robes, and it took all of her willpower not to reach up and attempt to flatten it for him. She just smiled weakly and said, "yes, but I've already got dress robes, and besides, there probably won't be any reason to wear them this year, will there?"

Harry shrugged, "I don't mind about _that _at all," and Ginny instantly wanted to kick herself for bringing up the Triwizard Tournament of the year before. It must be very painful for him to think about it, even now.

"I'm out of money now. I have to stop at Gringotts. Do you mind? Where do you have to go? I hate to drag you around to all these places with me."

Ginny laughed inwardly. She had no problem being "dragged" anywhere with Harry. With a straight face she said, "I need to go to Flourish and Blotts of course, and the apothecary to stock up on ingredients for Potions. That's about it really. Mum bought new robes for Ron and me last month. Oh! And I'd like to stop and get a little something for Pigwidgeon - he's been such a dear to me this summer."

"Right," said Harry, nodding over towards the door, let's go then. We can get all that done before lunchtime I think!" And they headed out into the sunshiny street.

~*~

Ginny and Harry headed towards Gringotts' impressive London branch, with it's many steps and gleaming white columns. "How did Bill end up working for Gringotts in Egypt? Couldn't he have worked here instead?" asked Harry in a curious sounding voice as they walked down the street.

At once, Ginny felt restored to her usual talkative self. Bill was her favorite brother and she looked up to him with great respect. "I suppose he could've worked here in London," she answered thoughtfully, "but I think he kind of wanted to get away and live a life of adventure for a while. When he finished Hogwarts, he was top of his class and Head Boy and all of that, and Gringotts approached him about this opening in Egypt. He specialized in Ancient Runes and Charms at school and it seems that the Egyptian branch is one of the most active and important."

"It must have been fun to visit him there."

"Yeah, it was! His life is very exciting. He showed us all sorts of tombs that he had broken the curses for and they were incredibly complicated. Everyone thought I would be scared because of…"

Here Ginny stopped suddenly and looked down at the ground. She hadn't meant to bring up the Chamber of Secrets. She didn't want to remind Harry at all about her embarrassing first year at Hogwarts, when she had confided in an enchanted diary that turned out to be a powerful piece of dark magic. In the end, Harry had saved her life by rescuing her from a memory of Lord Voldemort, and Ginny didn't want to bring up those unpleasant memories. She still felt ashamed about the whole ordeal.

Harry seemed to sense what was going on in Ginny's mind, and as he had done so many times before, he steered the conversation around in order to keep her from feeling awkward. "Ron said that Fred and George tried to lock Percy in one of the tombs."

Ginny giggled and nodded her head, "They're so funny, as long as you're not the one who's being tricked. Mum was so angry with them. The real reason that they did it was that Bill told us a story of one of the cursed tombs that he tried to get into. It was owned by a powerful Egyptian wizard 3,000 years ago."

Ginny stopped. They had reached the steps to Gringotts, but Harry made no motion to go inside, so she continued, "this wizard was an advisor to the Pharaoh, and was very wealthy. In addition, this wizard was also a member of the Egyptian Council of Wizards at the time and the other members didn't like the advice that he was giving to the Pharaoh. You see, he would pretend to make predictions and things and then use magic to make them come true. Even then, the wizards wanted to keep their identities secret and they thought that this wizard was abusing his powers. They got together and voted to revoke his powers until he promised to be a bit more discreet. He figured out what they were going to do and pretended to go and hide in one of the tombs. Instead, he cursed it so that any wizard that entered would automatically lose _their _powers. Percy was really, really disturbed by that story and after that, he kept just hanging around outside the entrances to the tombs, pretending to be bored. Fred and George kept telling him that the curse didn't work on Head Boys and asking him if he wanted to test that theory. Mum was so angry."

Harry looked impressed. He smiled at her and said, "well now I'm afraid to go into Gringotts myself, but I guess I need to. Do you want to wait here?"

Ginny nodded and leaned against a pillar, watching the crowds stroll by as she waited for Harry Potter to come back for her. She didn't even notice Hermione leave the building from an entrance to her left a few minutes later.

~*~

Harry emerged from Gringotts about twenty minutes later, clutching a bag of money. Wordlessly, they headed down the steps and over to the apothecary to stock up on supplies for Potions. Then they headed to the owl store to pick up some treats for Pigwidgeon and Hedwig. Ginny confided to Harry that she wished that Pigwidgeon were her owl.

"He's so sweet, and I know he loves me, although not quite as much as Ron. Still, it was so nice of Ron to let me keep him when he went to stay with Hermione. I want to get him some special treats."

Harry laughed, "Pig is definitely unusual. I don't think Hedwig cares for him too much. When he arrived with your letter, Hedwig looked very annoyed. It's a good thing I had to reply quickly!"

"Oh!" said Ginny, feeling silly, "I'm sorry - I mean, if I'd known that about Hedwig, I would have just waited to see you and give you the article."

"Come on Ginny," replied Harry kindly, "that's Hedwig's problem, isn't it? Anyway, I'm glad you sent the letter. I always have this panic attack during the summer holidays before school starts and think that everything is just some sort of dream. It was nice to get a letter to jolt me back into reality, especially since I've been talking to Hermione and Ron all week on the telephone, just like Muggles."

"Have you?" asked Ginny, interested. "They let you use the telephone?"

"No, but Hermione and I worked out a system to trick my aunt."

"Did Ron sound like he was having a good time? He didn't write to me - only to Fred and George," asked Ginny, hoping she didn't sound too nosy. She was dying to know if Harry had received any more specific information about Ron and Hermione's summer activities than she had.

"Yeah, I was a bit jealous, actually - he learned how to play the guitar and got to go to the cinema, and to a rock concert. I live with Muggles and I never get to do any of that!"

"Well, I expect I'll hear all about it shortly. I wonder where they are? I haven't seen them yet," answered Ginny, craning her neck to look around the street.

Harry laughed, "if they have arrived, there's a very high probability that they are in Flourish and Blotts and that's our next sto -"

Harry had stopped speaking. They were in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies. In the window, standing upright atop a marble pedestal was the most beautiful broomstick that Ginny had ever seen. It's handle looked like it was made out of two different types of wood - one black, and one white, and the bristles seemed to be spun from gold. The simple sign below read "Pereginus".

"Woooowww!" gasped Harry, staring at the broom in awe. Several other boys were also staring at the broom through the window.

"I read about that in Fred and George's Quidditch Illustrated," whispered Ginny, grateful that she had been bored enough one afternoon to flip through a copy that Fred had left on the kitchen table. "They're custom made to order and are especially good for Seekers because they handle dives really well. I forget what the black wood is, but the white wood is silver birch and it's taken with special permission by the wood nymphs in an enchanted forest in northern Canada."

Harry looked impressed at what Ginny knew, and she asked, "Do you want to go in and have a closer look?"

Harry peered in the shop. There was already a crowd of what looked like first and second years, as well as many grown men. The shop owner would not remove the Peregrinus from the window and was simply extolling its good qualities from afar.

"No," he said sighing, shaking his head, "besides, I've got a wonderful broom already."

~*~

Ginny continued with Harry down Diagon Alley. She was a bit surprised that they had not run into Hermione and Ron yet. On the other hand, she didn't mind too much - she had now been alone with Harry Potter for exactly one hour and forty-five minutes and she was having a wonderful time.

As they strolled along and shopped, Ginny entertained Harry with stories of the way her brothers used to torture her (and still did at times) growing up. Harry had been interested to hear if Fred and George were still working on their joke shop and Ginny assured him that they were. She told him about some of their early experiments.

"….and one time Fred and George decided to trick me into tasting a 'potion' that they made. They said it would turn my hair black, but it turned out to be pumpkin juice with melted chocolate mixed in. It didn't taste half bad, but I sat around waiting all day for my hair to turn but it just stayed this color."

"I like the color of your hair," said Harry earnestly.

Ginny blushed and turned her head away, and as she did so, her eyes caught a glimpse of a shock of hair, similar in hue to her own, in the alleyway that they were passing. Ginny did a double-take, and realized, to her amazement, that the hair belonged to her brother Ron, and that Hermione was attached to his lips.

Without realizing what she was doing, Ginny stopped walking. Harry stopped as well. "What's wrong?" he asked good-naturedly, looking somewhat amused at the look of confusion on her face.

"Oh! Er, nothing," Ginny stammered, taking a few steps further so that Ron and Hermione would be out of view. Harry, however, did not move with her. Apparently he had also caught a glimpse of the hair, shook his head in disbelief, and was staring down the alleyway with his mouth hanging open in amazement.

Without making a step, Harry turned to Ginny in astonishment and gasped, "Did _you _know about that?" 

"About what?" asked Ginny, trying to sound innocent.

Harry gave her a look as if to say, 'don't be stupid Ginny' and then took a few steps to stand with Ginny outside of Flourish and Blotts.

Ginny looked down at her feet, "Well, I _suspected_ something, but Hermione didn't tell me anything yet. Are you upset?"

Harry looked at her, looked around back towards the entrance to the alleyway, and then at Ginny, his green eyes wide. "I'm not _angry_, but honestly, when do you think they were planning on mentioning this to me? I'm their best friend!"

Ginny shook her head, "Don't be too upset. I have a feeling that this only happened in the last week or so. I'm sure that they were planning on telling you about it when they saw you today. It's probably a bit awkward for them…"

"They didn't look awkward at all! As a matter of fact, they looked the exact opposite of awkward - they looked quite comfortable - and I just talked to both of them on the telephone two days ago - "

"Harry," pleaded Ginny, surprised by her own forcefulness, "just give them a chance to _explain_. If they don't say anything by the time we get to Hogwarts, then you have permission to be upset with them, because I will be also."

To Ginny's amazement, a small smile was forming around Harry's lips. "I've half a mind to give them a hard time about this. I'm sure that Ron wouldn't let me off easy if the situation were reversed."

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny cautiously. She felt the thrill of a plot about to hatch.

Harry looked once more towards the alleyway, "let's go buy our books and then go for some ice cream. My guess is that they'll be occupied for awhile - they didn't look as if they were going anywhere. I promise not to do anything too evil until we get to Hogwarts. If they don't tell me then, I'll think of something."

With that, Harry started walking again towards Flourish and Blotts, Ginny following, feeling very happy to be in on something with Harry Potter.

~*~

Harry didn't bring up the subject of Ron and Hermione again until they were seated with their bags of school supplies at Florean Fortescue's. Unable to bear the suspense any longer, Ginny asked, "Well, what's your plan?"

Harry looked thoughtfully at his ice-cream sundae. "I don't really have a plan so to speak," he began. "After all, I'm not a Weasley. What I was thinking is that we just try to find as many ways as possible to use the word "kiss" in the course of normal conversation."

"Oh!" said Ginny, looking a bit sad, "I would feel so terrible, Harry. I mean, Hermione is my friend and I know that she was going to tell me soon."

Harry shrugged, "Perhaps, but why not make it a bit more difficult for them? Hermione loves a challenge. Or maybe I could tell Ron in secret that _I _like Hermione and see how long he can stay in control without giving himself away - "

"Do you?" asked Ginny, a bit too quickly.

"Do I what?"

"Like Hermione? I mean, are you upset about - them?"

Harry shook his head and smiled good-naturedly, "Hermione is my good friend, but to be honest, I couldn't be around her all the time like that. When - when Ron and I were fighting last year, and Hermione was trying to smooth things over between us, well, I really wanted to throttle her most of the time. I shouldn't say that, because she really did help me. I think the two of them make a lovely pair - and maybe now they won't bicker as much."

"Or maybe they'll fight more," said Ginny thoughtfully.

Harry's gaze shifted to a spot directly behind Ginny. "There they are!" he said quietly, and then, with a yell, "Ron! Hermione! Over here!" They saw him, smiled, and rushed over to the table. Hermione hugged both of them and they all sat down to catch up on the events of the summer.


	5. Happy Together

PART V: HAPPY TOGETHER 

(Ron's POV)

A/N: This chapter changes POV midway. The second part is a bit repetitive, but I wanted to show both sides, and I couldn't figure out another way to do it. I couldn't give up Ginny.

Ron felt that he would be perfectly happy to stay in that alley for the rest of the afternoon. He hadn't grown tired of the kissing at all, and he wondered fleetingly why people didn't just spend all of their time doing it.

Finally they had to breathe, and Hermione glanced nervously back towards the street. People were walking by, but oblivious to their existence. 

"Well," said Hermione wistfully, "I suppose we should go back out there. Ginny and Harry are probably already looking for us." 

Ron nodded in agreement, scooped up some of Hermione's bags with his own, and together they sauntered back into the crowd of people moving around in Diagon Alley. They set off for Florean Fortescue's.

"Ron! Hermione!" They both smiled and walked a bit faster as they saw Ginny and Harry sitting at an outdoor table, feasting on ice cream. Ron threw his bags down next the rickety table and collapsed into a chair. Hermione placed her bags on the ground and hugged Ginny and Harry and sat down next to them.

They all quickly compared notes as to where they had been and what they had bought, and Harry and Ron immediately launched into dialogue about the Pereginus in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron hadn't had time to make it over there due to the - well, due to the activity in the alleyway. 

Hermione and Ginny were speaking in sort of giggly whispers. Ron wondered why he had ever worried about feeling awkward at all. Everything was normal. He was here with his sister and his two best friends and everyone was enjoying themselves. No one felt awkward or strange. 

~*~

"Well, well. If it isn't the three heroes and their baby! How adorable to see that you've all survived the summer." Everyone's head jerked up as they saw Draco Malfoy standing at the table behind Ron. His father was talking, or, rather, arguing with a shopkeeper across the street from Florean Fortescue's. 

"Why don't you head back down Knockturn Alley where you belong, ferret-face?" snarled Ron, getting ready to jump to his feet.

"Oh, Father and I were just on our way there now, don't worry. If I were you Weasel, I'd watch out. Word has it that Fudge isn't particularly fond of your father's friendship with Dumbledore. There have been some serious questions over the summer about the running of the school."

Ron knew his face was red, but he was trying very hard to STAY IN CONTROL. He figured that Fred and George's advice might work in non-romantic situations as well. Unfortunately, Harry had not received any midsummer counseling from the twins, and he was on his feet in an instant.

"If some people are so concerned about the running of the school," Harry began with tight lips, "then why don't _some_ people just not go to school? Why don't -" Harry's voice was getting louder, "all of the Slytherins just form their own school somewhere and leave us alone!"

Draco remained composed, although he stepped back an inch or two from Harry. Ron stood as well, poised to grab hold of his friend if he made any sudden violent movements towards Malfoy.

Ron glanced quickly over to Hermione. She was sitting upright, staring fixedly at Draco with an extremely furious look in her eyes. She caught Ron looking at her and smiled softly, as if to say, 'just ignore him and he'll go away. _We _know he's full of it.' Ron barely had time to reflect how wonderful it was to be able to share thoughts like this with Hermione, when Draco continued, "to be sure, I would prefer to go to a school that's Mudblood-free, but until then it's considered useful to have me stationed at Hogwarts."

'It's only a word,' thought Ron, 'it's only a word. It's only a word.' Hermione and Ginny now stood up as well. Malfoy, who had taken a few more steps back in anticipation of a punch from Ron, looked over at them and smiled maliciously. Then, he said, "my, my Weasel, that little sister of yours is growing up to be quite pretty. Too bad she's related to you, although she _is _a pureblood, which is more than can be said for some."

Draco finally had pushed too far. Both Ron and Harry sprung forward and Hermione and Ginny rushed over, screaming at them to stop. Ron pinned Malfoy to the ground, although not before Draco had managed to scratch his face, and Harry was ready to throw the first punch when Lucius Malfoy sauntered over from across the street.

"Don't. You. Dare." Lucius said, staring hard at Harry. People on the street were now standing around staring at them all. Harry drew in his fist but he did not rise from his position over Draco. Lucius grabbed for Ron's collar and pulled him up, releasing Draco who scrambled unsteadily to his feet.

Lucius tried to hold on to Ron and turn him around, but he wrestled free and turned to face Lucius himself. The older man's voice was tinged with hatred. He pointed a finger at Ron and said very coldly, "You stay away from my son, Mr.Weasley. Your family is not exactly in my favor. I will warn you - the Malfoys are not to be trifled with."

In the back of his mind, Ron wanted to laugh. He wished his father could have witnessed this whole scene. Poor Lucius, having to protect his ridiculous son in such a manner. Ron managed, however, to keep a straight face, and pushed past Malfoy towards the table, pulling Harry with him. Lucius gave Harry an evil sort of glance, and then grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him off in the direction of Knockturn Alley.

Ron looked at Harry. They were both a bit disheveled and Ron's could feel the scratch on his cheek bleeding slightly. Ron raised his eyebrows at Harry and smirked. Harry looked back and smiled. Then they both burst into laughter. Ron felt that somehow, over the summer, they had both grown somehow. Harry seemed to understand, because he did a slight imitation of Draco's obnoxious sneer and they both bent over, shaking so hard that their stomachs hurt. 

Ron heard Hermione gasp. He looked up. She was standing as she had been since the moment Lucius had walked over. She was very pale and one hand was still over her mouth. The other was clutching the table. She looked very shaken up. Ron stopped laughing and looked at her uncertainly. They had talked a little bit during his visit about Draco. Hermione was actually very worried that _her _family might be in some sort of danger because of Draco's dislike for her. Although Ron felt extreme rage at hearing Draco call Hermione names, it never really occurred to him to think how it must feel to be the one actually insulted. "It's _okay_ Hermione," he said softly, "we're both okay." 

Hermione walked over to him and said in a trembling voice, "you're bleeding." 

Ron reached up and felt the scratch on his cheek. "It's not bad," he replied truthfully, "it doesn't hurt." 

Hermione nodded slowly in acknowledgement, but continued to stare at the cut above Ron's cheekbone. All he wanted to do was make her feel better. He reached for both of her hands and linked them around his neck, and then put his arms around her waist and gave her a big hug. She relaxed a little bit until a cough brought both of them back into reality.

Harry and Ginny were staring at both of them with a mixture of concern and amusement. They quickly jumped apart and Harry laughed. "Don't worry about it," he said, sitting down and digging a spoon into his very melted ice cream, "we saw you snogging an hour ago in that alleyway."

Ginny giggled, Ron turned bright red, and Hermione cracked a smile. It would all take some getting use to, but Ron felt that everything would be alright in the end.

(Ginny's POV)

It seemed to Ginny, as she glanced over at her brother, that he had grown somewhat in the last two weeks. He seemed more confident, self-assured, and more wise-cracking than ever. He and Harry immediately launched into a discussion of the Pereginus on display at Quality Quidditch Supplies (Ron hadn't made it over there yet), which left Ginny and Hermione free to catch up without interruption.

Ginny gave Hermione a significant look, glanced at Ron, and raised her eyebrows. Hermione nodded and smiled, and then they both dissolved into a fit of giggles. 'It's so nice to be around another girl my own age,' thought Ginny happily. She was really dying to hear everything that had gone on at the Grangers that summer.

They had been trying to talk in disguised tones about the magazine article that Hermione had sent, and Ginny was dying to confide to Hermione about the letter, but they were interrupted by the unmistakable sneer of Draco Malfoy.

"Well, well. If it isn't the three heroes and their baby! How adorable to see that you've all survived the summer." Everyone's head jerked up as they saw Draco Malfoy standing at the table behind Ron. His father was talking, or, rather, arguing with a shopkeeper across the street from Florean Fortescues. 

"Why don't you head back down Knockturn Alley where you belong, ferret-face?" snarled Ron, getting ready to jump to his feet.

"Oh, Father and I were just on our way there now, don't worry. If I were you Weasel, I'd watch out. Word has it that Fudge isn't particularly fond of your father's friendship with Dumbledore. There have been some serious questions over the summer about the running of the school."

Ginny stared straight ahead in fear. She knew that her brother was about to attack, but more frightening was the fact that Harry looked just as angry. To her surprise, it was Harry who spoke first.

"If some people are so concerned about the running of the school," Harry began with tight lips, "then why don't _some_ people just not go to school? Why don't -" Harry's voice was getting louder, "all of the Slytherins just form their own school somewhere and leave us alone!"

Ginny had been wondering the same thing, and noted with pleasure that Draco took a few steps back from Harry at this point. Ron was holding onto the back of Harry's robes and Ginny saw his eyes flash towards Hermione, who smiled at him briefly, although one hand was clutching the table tightly.

Draco continued, "to be sure, I would prefer to go to a school that's Mudblood-free, but until then it's considered useful to have me stationed at Hogwarts."

Ginny gasped and both she and Hermione jumped out of their chairs. Ginny's fell over in the haste. Malfoy, who had taken a few more steps back in anticipation of a punch from Ron, looked over at them and smiled maliciously. Then, he said, "my, my Weasel, that little sister of yours is growing up to be quite pretty. Too bad she's related to you, although she _is _a pureblood, which is more than can be said for some."

Ginny felt her face grow crimson, and tried to restrain herself from lunging towards Malfoy herself. She saw that Hermione was now very pale and had one hand clamped over her mouth.

Draco finally had pushed too far. Both Ron and Harry sprung forward and Hermione and Ginny rushed over, screaming at them to stop. Ron pinned Malfoy to the ground, although not before Draco had managed to scratch his face, and Harry was ready to throw the first punch when Lucius Malfoy sauntered over from across the street.

Ginny shivered. She had been frightened of Lucius Malfoy ever since her first year in Hogwarts when he had started a fight with her father in Flourish and Blotts. Sometimes she even had nightmares about him. She reached down and picked up her fallen chair, which she used for support as Lucius began to speak to Harry.

"Don't. You. Dare." Lucius said, staring hard at Harry. People on the street were now standing around staring at them all. Harry drew in his fist but he did not rise from his position over Draco. Lucius grabbed for Ron's collar and pulled him up, releasing Draco who scrambled unsteadily to his feet.

Lucius tried to hold on to Ron and turn him around, but he wrestled free and turned to face Lucius himself. The older man's voice was tinged with hatred. He pointed a finger at Ron and said very coldly, "You stay away from my son, Mr.Weasley. Your family is not exactly in my favor. I will warn you - the Malfoys are not to be trifled with."

Ron pushed past Malfoy towards the table, pulling Harry with him. Lucius gave Harry an evil sort of glance, and then grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him off in the direction of Knockturn Alley.

Suddenly, they whole situation struck Ginny as a bit ridiculous and she actually felt like laughing. Ron and Harry must have had the same idea. They both looked terrible. A thin line of blood was traveling down Ron's cheek from where Malfoy had scratched him. Ginny reflected that Draco must have had extremely long nails to do that. Harry's hair was even more messed up than usual, and his face was still flushed. The two of them seemed to exchange a glance and then they both burst into laughter. 

Ginny heard Hermione gasp. She was standing as she had been since the moment Lucius had walked over. Ginny was about to go to her friend and comfort her, but she noticed that Ron had stopped laughing and was now looking at Hermione with concern. "It's _okay_ Hermione," he said softly, "we're both okay." 

Hermione walked over to him and said in a trembling voice, "you're bleeding." 

Ron reached up and felt the scratch on his cheek. "It's not bad," he replied truthfully, "it doesn't hurt." 

Hermione nodded slowly in acknowledgement, but continued to stare at the cut above Ron's cheekbone. Ginny watched in amazement as her brother put his arms around Hermione and hugged her. She wondered why the whole incident with Draco had upset Hermione so much more than usual and she frowned slightly and bit her lip.

Ginny's eyes flew towards Harry, who was watching them with a very amused expression on his face. He looked over at Ginny, rolled his eyes as if to say, 'can you believe this?' then coughed very loudly.

They quickly jumped apart and Harry laughed. "Don't worry about it," he said, sitting down and digging a spoon into his very melted ice cream, "we saw you snogging an hour ago in that alleyway."

Ron turned bright red and Hermione cracked a smile. Ginny giggled a bit as Harry raised his eyebrow at her. Everything was going to be alright.


End file.
